Free music under the stars at The Summer International Organ Festival in San Diego draws crowds to Balboa Park every summer. Photo: Robert Lang

A San Diego Summer tradition since 1987, the Spreckels Organ Society presents the 26^th Annual Summer International Organ Festival, featuring internationally celebrated organists playing free concerts each Monday evening from June 24 through August 26, 2013 under the stars at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.  All 2013 Summer International Organ Festival concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free of charge.

The historic Spreckels Organ is the largest outdoor pipe organ in America and is situated at the center of Balboa Park, one of the country’s most beautiful urban parks.

“Everyone is welcome at the Summer International Organ Festival,” asserts new Spreckels Organ Society President George Hardy.  “These free concerts are a gift to San Diego first envisioned by John D. Spreckels and continued today through the commitment of the City of San Diego, the Park and Recreation Department and the many dedicated volunteers of the Spreckels Organ Society”

Children are invited as well as music-loving pets on leash.  Light snacks, beverages and unique gifts are available on the pavilion grounds with proceeds from donations benefiting the nonprofit Spreckels Organ Society, working to preserve, program and promote the great Spreckels Organ as a world treasure for all people.

The nonprofit Spreckels Organ Society was founded in 1988.  With over 1,900 members world-wide, and governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees, the Society presents more than 65 free concerts a year and attracts over 100,000 people annually.  For more information about the Spreckels Organ Society including a listing of upcoming concerts, visit sosorgan.com or the Spreckels Organ Society Facebook fan page.

2013 SCHEDULE:

June 24 – Anthony Newman
July 1 – Cheryl and Wayne Seppala
July 8 – Richard Hills
July 15 – Daryl Robinson and Annelle K. Gregory
July 22 – Jane Watts
July 29 – Barbara Dennerlein
August 3 – Robert Plimpton
August 12 – Keith Hearnshaw
August 19 – Dennis James’ Silent Movie Night
August 26 – Carol Williams

Enjoy a performance by Flamenco dancers.

The Old House Fair is a free, day-long festival on Saturday, June 15, 2013 in Historic South Park. While folks who love older homes and historic urban neighborhoods will enjoy the many exhibit booths with information about repairing, renewing, and restoring old homes, the Fair, at 30th and Beech Street, will also feature family activities, kids’ crafts, pottery and antiques, plus live musical entertainment.

At the center of the festival are festival food booths, the Whistle Stop stage with live musical entertainment (Marcia Forman Band at 10 a.m. and School of Rock at Noon), pet adoptions and low-cost micro-chipping by Second Chance Dog Rescue, and a Kids’ Corner featuring arts and crafts projects, gardening, South Park Crafts, and Flamenco Dance at 2 p.m.

Parents will enjoy visiting and shopping at the Old House Fair booths, where experts provide advice for older home services and restoration, and vendors offer artwork, antiques, jewelry and gifts with the vintage vibe.

1937 Art Deco home

The day’s highlight is the Old House Fair Historic Home Tour ($25) which  features 5 homes, including the famed Quayle House, an iconic Bungalow Court. Also scheduled is a self-guided bike/walk historic tour. Get a detailed map with descriptions of historic homes and tour by bike or on foot. Trolley Tours offer a narrated 45-minute tour of South Park and Golden Hill. Board the trolley at the corner of Beech and Dale St. 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30. Tickets for the Trolley Tour are $5 and are available at the event. In addition, Patty Fares will lead two one-hour Urban Safaris walking tour of the immediate South Park neighborhood. Meet her at  the Old House Fair Info Booth (30th & Beech St.) for a walk covering history, architecture, local lore, and upcoming South Park events.

Admission to the festival is free and the events runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information and advance Historic Home Tour ticket orders are available by calling 619-233-6679 or by visiting www.theoldhousefair.com.

Photo courtesy of Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre.

The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater, located in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park, is hosting a special presentation of the children’s story Hansel and Gretel. The show runs June 5 through 9, 2013 and will be performed by visiting puppet troupe Omnipresent Puppet Theater. Performed with hand puppets by husband and wife team Kamala and Don Kruszka, this funny, charming story is fun for children of all ages.

Since their family business is in trouble, Hansel and Gretel must forage for berries for their dinner. Lost deep in the woods they discover a wonderful gingerbread house occupied by a hungry, happy-go-lucky witch and her broom named Whiskers. Don’t miss this special showing to find out if their parents can find them before the happy-go-lucky witch decides to eat them for lunch.

The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater is the longest running puppet theater in the United States with seven resident puppeteers and 45 different shows performed each year. The Theater is named after founding puppeteer Marie Hitchcock, who performed the theater’s first puppet show with her sister Genevieve Engman in 1947. Marie is best known for her assistance in the preservation of the California Condor through the development of a puppet utilized to feed baby condors.

Omnipresent Puppet Theater is a labor of love by husband and wife team Kamala and Don Kruszka. Don, the head puppeteer, brings more than 18 years of professional experience to his work. From writing scripts to building puppets, and performing the show, he does it all. Kamala holds an MFA in Theatre Education from Arizona State University and brings her experiences in theatre education to outreach and study materials.

You can catch this special production of Hansel and Gretel, Wednesday, June 5 through Sunday, June 9 with three shows performed daily at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. General show admission is $5. Military and seniors are $4 and children under 2 years of age are free.

You certainly don’t have to be Sicilian to enjoy the sights and sounds of the San Diego Sicilian Festival. In fact, San Diego’s Sicilian American community invites everyone to “Eat, Drink & Be Sicilian” for a day as part of the 20th Annual Sicilian Festival celebration in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood on Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

This popular free family event features authentic Sicilian food and entertainment – surrounded by the colorful ambiance of historic Little Italy – located within walking distance of the beautiful San Diego harbor.

At 12:00 p.m., a procession of dozens of costumed dancers, musicians, and representatives of San Diego’s Italian community will begin their march through the streets of Little Italy.

Food booths representing the many restaurants in Little Italy will line the streets, serving up Sicilian specialties of all varieties. Sicilian wine will be served in the wine garden, and visitors can even try their hand at grape stomping in a barrel as part of the festival fun.

Direct for New York City, the Sicilian Tenors will headline this year’s 20th Anniversary event. Three Sicilian-American tenors, Aaron Caruso, Elio Scaccio, and Sam Vitale, will take the Sicilian Festival audience on a romantic musical journey during their dynamic presentation. In addition, several stages will feature authentic Italian and Sicilian music and dance.

Visitors will be able to admire a wide variety of Italian
automobiles at the Bellissimo car show. Plus the annual pasta-eating contest is a festival favorite.

All children’s activities are free and include a large inflatable slide, puppet theatre shows, face painting, and many other activities to keep the bambini entertained throughout day.

A Sicilian cultural zone will highlight photo and cultural displays by local and national authors and artisans that reflect the Sicilian-American heritage in San Diego. The area will feature chalk art and displays of the rich history of San Diego’s tuna fishing industry, which flourished from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1970s.

For more information, visit the Sicilian Festival website at www.sicilianfesta.com.

Images courtesy of the Sicilian Festival.

Astronaut Garrett Reisman. Photo c/o San Diego Air & Space Museum

The San Diego Air & Space Museum’s Space Day celebration is set to launch on Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Space Day features demonstrations, giveaways, and fun, hands-on activities with local and national space experts. Visitors also have the chance to meet and talk to Garrett Reisman, a real astronaut who flew on the space shuttle, lived on the space station, and has walked in space. Garrett plans to share stories about space exploration.

Fun, hands-on Space Day activities include: driving a Mars Rover, building and flying paper rockets, talking to space experts, free posters, designing your own space patch, coloring, and giveaways.

Garrett Reisman has made two trips on Space Shuttles to the International Space Station, remaining there as a long duration crew member. Garrett flew on Space Shuttles Endeavour, Discovery, and Atlantis during his astronaut career, and completed three successful “Space Walks” or EVAs.

The Museum’s Space Galleries are also open for viewing throughout the event, including a flown Apollo spacecraft, moon rocks and space suits.

Space Day is FREE for children 17 and under (with paid adult admission). Admission is discounted for adults with a coupon available on the Museum’s website.

The Kiwanis Club of San Diego and the San Diego State University School of Music and Dance, along with generous community sponsors present a free concert in celebration of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.  A children’s booth opens at 3:30 p.m.

The concert features the top musical ensembles from the SDSU School of Music and Dance including the Aztec Concert Choir directed by Patrick Walders, the SDSU Jazz Ensemble directed by Bill Yeager, the SDSU Mariachi Ensemble conducted by Mark Fogelquist and the Bunnell Strings.  Crowd pleasing favorites tunes will include La Bamba and La Bikina.

Cinco de Mayo Concert in the Park is an annual gift to the community from the Kiwanis Club of Downtown San Diego.  The San Diego Kiwanis Club has spent the past 95 years providing extensive community involvement programs for youth and the greater San Diego community.  The Concert, through sponsor gifts, generates scholarships and grants for talented, deserving SDSU School of Music and Dance students.

“Kiwanis appreciates the support and generosity of our honorary concert sponsor the Mexican Consulate in San Diego,” says Club President Ryan Callan.  “They, along with club members and corporate sponsors like Merriman Real Estate Services, Callan Capital, DLA Piper, La Mesa Carpet & Linoleum and The Gupta Group, make the student scholarship program possible.”

For more information, visit the Kiwanis Club website.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego proudly presents Chocolate: A Uniquely American Food, a tasting and educational showcase and festival featuring food, wine, and of course, a variety of chocolate treats on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 3, 4 and 5, 2013 at the Maritime Museum located at 1492 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101.

On Friday May 3, there will be an evening of Wine, Cheese and Chocolate from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. for guests 21 and older. On Saturday and Sunday, May 4 & 5, the Chocolate Festival runs from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. for guests of all ages. The Chocolate Celebration is included in the cost of Museum admission.

This delicious event brings together the world-renowned Maritime Museum with the Historic Division of Mars, a division of Mars Chocolate North America one of the world’s leading chocolate manufacturers and the maker of M&M’S®, SNICKERS® and TWIX®, among other popular brands.

The Historic Division of Mars brings the history of chocolate to life through lectures, tastings and interactive demonstrations. Observers will be able to touch, taste, smell, and experience chocolate as it was enjoyed by our Founding Fathers at every demonstration by sampling American Heritage Chocolate® drink. American Heritage Chocolate® is an authentic, colonial-style chocolate recipe that is made by Mars Chocolate North America. A team of Mars Chocolate History Ambassadors will tell the historical bean-to-beverage story using authentic tools including live cocoa pods, cocoa beans and nibs, a hot stone metate, winnowing baskets, chocolate drink pots and stirrers throughout the day.

Perfect for adults and children, Chocolate: A Uniquely American Food features a variety of award-winning vendors such as David Bacco Chocolatier, My Kitchen, Choco treats and San Diego Catering, that will offer samples of diverse types of chocolate made locally and from around the world.

Children’s activities include a scavenger hunt, craft activities, “make your own chocolate pizza” and more. Adults can participate in luxurious wine and chocolate pairings, as well as learn culinary tricks at several live chocolate-focused demonstrations. Wine activities require a small fee and are for adults 21 and older.

Details and tickets are available on the Maritime Museum website at www.sdmaritime.org or by calling 619-234-9153 ext. 101.

The 30th Annual April Street Fair returns to Downtown Encinitas on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Fair-goers will enjoy two days of 450 arts, crafts and food vendors, a beer garden, entertainment on four stages and an award-winning Main Street.  Plus, Encinitas 101 MainStreet is happy to announce the launch of the Kids Zone in The Lumberyard parking lot, where younger fair-goers will be able to enjoy a variety of activities and games.

The Encinitas Fire Department will kick things off with their Annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, April 27 from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the 7-Eleven Parking lot at the corner of Hwy 101 and D St.

Bill Magee Blues Band

Four stages will feature local entertainment including: The Retro Rocketts, Peter Sprague Trio, Bill Magee Blues Band, Jerry HotRod DeMink,The Blue Moonies, and Allegato World Jazz. The Fair also welcomes popular reggae band Stranger and the soulful Elaine Faye and the Big Bang.

Coast Hwy 101 will be closed from D Street to J Street, starting at 5:00 a.m., and there will be no parking permitted after 4:00 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Parking will be available at Moonlight Beach, City Hall and North County Transit District Coaster Station lots (along Vulcan Ave at D and E Streets).

For more information including full entertainment lineup, visit www.encinitas101.com.

Images courtesy of the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association.

Everyday we have to take into account how our actions affect our earth. We strive to be greener, whether our way is through recycling, urban farming, water-saving strategies, energy-efficient appliances, carpooling, planting trees, drought-tolerant plants, composting, re-purposing and reinventing items that had lost their lackluster. It all adds up. And Mother Earth appreciates it.

As you search for ways to make a difference, take in a few events around San Diego that not only celebrate our earth, our community, and how much we have achieved so far, but also to engage in strategies that will help keep Mother Earth looking spiffy for generations to come.

• EarthFair 2013 – Sunday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Balboa Park. Featuring more than 300 exhibitors, special theme areas, a special Kids’ Activity Area, three entertainment venues, the Children’s Earth Parade, the eARTh Gallery art show, and the Cleaner Car Concourse.
• Backcountry Earth Day Celebration – Sunday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Santa Ysabel General Store. Featuring Earth Day activities, booths, artisan goods, food, and a special presentation by the California Wolf Center.
• Multicultural Earth Day – Sunday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the WorldBeat Cultural Center. Featuring performances from Super Sonic Samba Dance, Capoeira, Native American Drumming, Reggae Angels, WorldBeat African Drum & Dance, and many more.
• Oceanside Green Week – April 22 – 28 at various locations throughout Oceanside. Featuring the 3rd Annual Environmental Film Festival, Loma Alta Creek and Beach Cleanup, the Green Fair, Electronics Recycling, and a free oil filter exchange event. For more information and a complete list of Green Week events, visit www.oceansiderecycles.org.
• Carlsbad Arbor Day Celebration – Saturday, April 27 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Calavera Hills Community Park. Care for the environment and plant trees in a city park.
• 20th Annual Spring Garden Festival – Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Water Conservation Garden. Visitors will enjoy demonstrations on urban farming topics—raising urban chickens and beekeeping. Plus kids activities, the Rancho San Diego Farmer’s Market, and expert advice on creating a water-wise garden.
• SanTree Fest – Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Town Center Community Park East in Santee. Featuring tree planting and river clean-up, live music, kids zone, interactive demonstrations, splash science lab, and vendors.

All these events and more are listed on the SoCal Kids San Diego Event Calendar. Have fun!